And the gauntlet lands: US sends Pittman triple threat

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A week ago, Jana Pittman's coach, Phil King, predicted that Sheena Johnson would "throw something onto the table for us to think about" in the 400 metres hurdles at the US Olympic trials. King added: "Others, I'm sure, will pop up."

Both predictions were borne out in a dramatic final of the women's 400m hurdles in Sacramento on Sunday, when all three American qualifiers ran quicker than the Australian's fastest time this year.

Johnson, the 21-year-old US national collegiate champion, won a see-saw race in 52.95 seconds, more than half a second quicker than the 53.52 Pittman ran last week in Crete.

The surprises did not end there. Second place went to Brenda Taylor in 53.36, an improvement of more than 1 seconds on her previous best, and third to Lashinda Demus in 53.43.

Johnson will head that formidable three-way American challenge to world champion Pittman and world record holder Yuliya Pechonkina in Athens.

Johnson, 165 centimetres tall and weighing 58 kilograms, will be dwarfed by Pittman's 181cm and 69kg frame. Yet Johnson brings more speed and hurdling ability to the line.

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The US runs also put Pittman's unofficial "world record" for 300m hurdles in the Swiss town of Meilen on Sunday into perspective. Pittman recorded 39 seconds exactly and then ran 23.90 for 200m at a meeting in the town which serves as her European training base.

Johnson, Taylor and Demus probably all went through 300m at the US trials faster than Pittman's time in Switzerland.

Pittman's performances were more like a hard day's training, but in the event of any complacency in the Pittman camp after successive wins over Pechonkina, it will have been well and truly dispelled with the news from Sacramento.